William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar is a tragedy that includes events leading to the fall of Julius Caesar, as well as the impact this has on the Roman citizens and conspirators. Following Caesar’s death, Brutus and Antony both deliver speeches in hopes of gaining supporters. Some readers believe that Brutus’ reasons for killing Caesar are more convincing due to his use of certain strategies. However, Antony’s speech is more successful since he uses a wider range of persuasion techniques and stronger supporting arguments. This information is important because it helps the readers understand how Antony and Brutus’ differences during the funeral speech can greatly impact the way people view Caesar’s assassination. Although Brutus effectively …show more content…
Brutus was able to incorporate ethos and logos during his funeral speech. When Brutus states, “ Believe me for mine honor,/ that you may believe…”(3,1,15) By stating this Brutus is saying that the people should listen to him and believe him because of his reputation as an honorable man. Due to the fact that Brutus used the word “believe” twice, this increasingly attract the crowd’s attention and makes them consider believing him. Although he makes the crowd think, he does not say anything about why they should believe, he makes the audience think if believing him is the right thing to do.Therefore, they might not believe Brutus because they do not think deeply about what he is saying. By using ethos, Brutus is showing that he is one of them, …show more content…
Unlike Brutus, Antony had a lot of strong pathos points such as , “For Brutus, as you know, was Caesar’s angel,/ Judge, O you gods, how dearly Caesar loved him! (3,2,193) When Antony said this, he did not directly say anything bad about the conspirators, this influences the plebeians to feel sympathetic towards Caesar and possibly somewhat, resentful towards Brutus and his accomplices. Antony is able to show his sympathy and he was able to get the conspirators to feel sympathy. Brutus was not able to manipulate the individuals in the same was as Antony. Antony was also able to use ethos as well as Brutus did. Just like Brutus, Antony was able to connect to the individuals by starting out his speech with, “Friends, Romans and countrymen…’ (3,1,82) Here he is showing them that he’s a common person. Brutus uses mostly ethos, this shows that he is straight to the point. But with Antony, he makes people think like when he says, “He hath brought many captives home to Rome,/ Whose ransoms did the general coffers fill./ Did this in Caesar seem ambition? (3,1,97) Mark Antony’s speech was more persuasive than Brutus’ simply because Brutus was only trying to persuade the audience that killing caesar was the right thing to do. Antony’s
In William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Brutus is a skillful orator who makes use of rhetorical devices to convey his points. In his speech made after the death of Caesar, Brutus uses devices such as ethos, parallelism, and rhetorical questions to persuade the people to his way of thinking. Ethos is when a speaker gives an example of credibility in order to appeal to the listener’s ethics. When Brutus asks the people to “believe me for mine honor, and have respect for mine honor” (3.2.14-15), he is using ethos to appeal to their morals in order to make them consider his opinions. The use of ethos exhibits Brutus’ need for the people to approve of him, and by extension, the assassination of Caesar. Later, Brutus utilizes parallelism
When thinking of famous oration, one speech in literature is a classic example that contains persuasive techniques. The speech given by Marc Antony to mourn Caesar in Shakespeare’s work Julius Caesar has been referenced for ages as an example of a convincing argument. Everyone recalls the opening line, “Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears,” and all know what follows the speech – war leading to the establishment of the final triumvirate (Shakespeare 3.2.82). However, in praising Antony’s words, audiences tend to forget the other convincing orations that make appearances in Julius Caesar. Aristotle first described these in his discourse on types of rhetoric in Ancient Greece. They are pathos, logos, and ethos and all are found in the
Brutus says," Believe me for mine honor, and have respect for mine honor that you may believe. " III:2:14he-15. By using repetition, the people can easily remember that speech, and that is the kind of speech that they like. In Antony's speech he says," Yet Brutus says he was ambitious, and Brutus is an honorable man." (III:2:84-85).
Brutus also places his faith in the honor of others, refusing to take a group oath assuming the honor of the individual is the strongest thing there is. Brutus lives his life based almost entirely on the idea of honor, yet he somehow fails to see the dishonor in killing his close friend to prevent him from rising to power.
In Shakespeare’s play, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, pathos, logos and ethos are evidently and effectively used to persuade the audience into believing Caesar was not ambitious and that he was an innocent man. Throughout the speech the citizens were easily persuaded, but Anthony’s intellectual speeches made the audience question and imagine what they have turned into. Anthony used these three rhetorical appeals to win back the citizens just like many people do today. The power of pathos, logos and ethos in a speech can change one mind in an instant and if successfully used can change a mind to be fully persuaded without confusion.
The most predominate and important aspect In the play Julius Caesar, by William Shakespeare are the speeches given to the Roman citizens by Brutus and Antony, the two main charaters, following the death of Caesar. Brutus and Antony both spoke to the crowd,using the same rhetorical devices to express their thoughts. Both speakers used the three classical appeals employed in the speeches: ethos, which is an appeal to credibility; pathos, which is an appeal to the emotion of the audience; and logos, which is an appeal to the content and arrangement of the argument itself. Even though both speeches have the same structure Antony’s speech is significantly more effective than Brutus’s.
The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare is a historic tragedy about the brutal murder of the Roman senator, Julius Caesar. Within the play, Caesar has two close friends—Brutus and Antony. Antony is a loyal friend, supporting Caesar and encouraging him in his climb to kingship; Brutus is a king-fearing traitor who leads the plot to murder Caesar. After Caesar is murdered, both friends make speeches—Brutus to justify his actions and Antony to passive-aggressively disprove his claims. In the speeches, they use three rhetorical literary devices: ethos, the appeal to gain the crowd’s trust; pathos, stirring the crowd’s emotions to influence behavior; and logos, the use of logic to reason with the crowd. By comparing the use of ethos, pathos, and logos in each speech and by
...ns. This made Antony's speech more effective in the fact that he used detailed reasoning for why Caesar was not ambitious. This was why the people came to his favor in the end. The tones and rhetorical devices they used helped to capture their audience by appealing to their emotions and helping to move the views of Antony and Brutus's views across to their listeners. Comparing effectiveness and ineffectiveness of both speeches was important in determining which way the people would be swayed.
Depending on the cause and how they speak is how an audience will react. The ending can make or break how it went, you always want to leave the crowd with your main point or something to get across to them. Brutus mentions Antony “Do grace Caesar’s corpse and grace his speech”(3.2.62-63), this leaves people in anticipation of Mark Antony’s speech and to give him respect and time. Agnes Heller says “Brutus is not a man without passions...such as friendship, courage, magnanimity, temperance, and justice.”(Heller) this can show that Brutus does not know any better than to tell the people about Mark Antony and support him because he is too kind hearted to purposely not give Antony a chance to speak. Mark Antony however ends his speech with pathos and emotion, “My heart is in the coffin there with Caesar”(3.2.108) which makes the crowd sympathize for him. Also Antony makes sure to include a dramatic pause for his speech to sink in and for effect, this causes the people to go out into a riot. Antony got the reaction he was looking for by angering the Romans, seeing that Caesar is dead without good cause. In the article “The Tragic Hero of Julius Caesar” Paolucci says that “Marc Antony will be the key figure in the determination of the fate of Rome and of the conspirators/liberators.”(Paolucci). In the play Antony does become a key factor in their fate, this speech is part of it because he quickly turns the Roman citizens against them. The kind of reputation that you have in a community can also have a huge part in making people listen to you. Brutus was known as the nobleman throughout Rome that people would often listen to and trust. Mark Antony was known as Caesar’s loyal friend but also did not have to bad of a reputation in Rome, maybe not as good as Brutus but it was not bad. “Here comes his body mourned by Antony”(Shakespeare, 3.2.42) shows empathy to Mark Antony and makes the audience start focusing on Antony instead of himself and
Antony asks rhetorical questions and lets the audience answer for themselves. Brutus uses ethos by stating that he a noble man and that is why the people should believe him but infact Antony questions his nobility by saying what Brutus said,” Brutus is an honourable man”(III.ii.79). In a way, Antony states what Brutus states to convince the audience by using examples that Brutus is wrong. Antony himself knows what kind of man Brutus is but lets the people figure it out on their own. In addition, Brutus uses logos by expressing that fact that Caesar died because of his ambition. This argument is severely under supported because his reasons are invalid and simply observations. Antony uses “did this in Caesar seem ambitious” to question Brutus’ argument (III.ii.82). Antony gives examples backing his argument like when Caesar refused the crown thrice to prove his humbleness. The way Antony convinces the people to rebel is by using pathos. He brings the audience in by stepping down to their level and showing them the body of Caesar. While Antony talks at Caesar's funeral, he pauses because” heart us in the coffin there with Caesar “(III.ii.98). When Antony becomes emotional, he reminds the audience about what injust event happened to the much loved
Brutus does back up his argument effectively by augmenting and emphasizing his credibility. With his already existing trust with his audience, he is able to proclaim, “Believe me for mine honor, and have respect to mine honor.” Being a well-respected man of Rome, the audience does not have much reason, if at all, to criticize the sincerity of Brutus. Furthermore, he stresses his respect for Caesar, saying, “I weep for him; as he was fortunate, I rejoice at it; as he was valiant, I honor him.” By showing the audience his respect for the deceased man, it influences them to believe in his voiced opinion. Arguably Brutus’s most effective persuasive argument is his proclamation that he is willing to die for Rome if need it be. He announces this by saying, “I have the same dagger for myself when it shall please my county to need my death.” This powerfully shows the audience that everything he does, he does to please his country, and that he h...
Firstly, Antony says a general statement that, “the evil that men do lives after them” (III.ii.74), when in fact he is subtly and sneeringly referring to the conspirators actions. The Roman commoners don’t realize that this general statement is swaying them, but the rest of Antony’s speech further convinces them of the evil the conspirators have done. Later, Antony talks about Brutus says that “sure, [he] is an honourable man” (III.ii.98), emphasis on the sure. Because he uses a scornful tone while sarcastically saying this statement, he is really beginning to show the audience his true feelings on the situation. Knowing that even Antony bitterly disagrees with the choices of the conspirators, it further persuades the common people of Rome to turn against Brutus and the rest of Caesar’s murderers. These occasions show Antony’s sour tone, especially towards the conspirators, and Antony’s tone also riles up the Roman citizens. His tone helps to exasperate the commoners with Caesar’s murder, and therefore assists Antony in achieving his purpose to manipulate the audience to turn against
Brutus repeatedly says, “If any, speak, for him have I offended,” (III.ii.25). Brutus’ tactic is to try to force someone, or dare them, to disagree with him, which no one ends up doing. Brutus tries to make people fear him, which works for a brief period of time. Mark Antony, on the other hand, goes on the attack, rather than the defense, by repeatedly saying, “Yet Brutus said he was ambitious; And… he is an honourable man.” (III.ii.89-90). By going on the offensive side, Mark Antony uses the repetition of this extreme usage of irony and sarcasm to make the audience understand that all of this is Brutus’ fault and that he should be punished for his crimes, no matter his intentions. Both groups use similar rhetorical strategies to prove that Caesar should or should not be dead for what he has done, with differing results. Brutus and Mark Antony also use emotional appeals to persuade their audience that they are correct in the matter of the death of their esteemed
& respects the intelligence of the common people to understand a speech given in verse. Brutus's authoritative air is once again illustrated at the very opening line of his oration when he demands the attention of the people, "Romans, countrymen, and lovers, hear me for my / cause, and be silent, that you may hear. Believe me / for mine honor and have respect to mine honor, that / you may believe"(Act III, scene ii, lines 13-16). this one line, Antony uses Brutus's words to his advantage by changing them to make himself sound friendlier. By the very first word of Antony's speech, one can infer that he is about to give a humbling oration; he uses the ethical appeal to convince the people to believe in his cause rather than Brutus's. Finally, while the crowd is in awe of Brutus's raw power and booming authority, Antony uses sarcasm He is "an honorable man" (Act III, scene II, line 84) in a tone of biting mockery, therefore questioning Brutus's credibility. & nbsp; It is true that the Roman people have emotions that sway with the winds, but this is partly due to the great speaking skills of both Brutus and Mark Antony.
Antony, though he kept to his bargain, brought the audience to his side in a variety of ways. He used all three methods of persuasion to his advantage. He claimed the killers of Caesar to be honorable and noble, and in the very act of doing so turned Brutus' followers against him. This shows the true ability of Marcus Antonius, and that he is a far greater threat than the conspirators recognized. This power of words is well known, and Aristotle's three methods of persuasion live on in modern speechwriters. Ethos, logos, and pathos are just as effective in our time as in that of Shakespeare, the Roman Empire, and wherever there are people to speak and people to listen. Thus even today, this speech of Shakespeare through Antony shows the sheer impact that mere words can have.